During study hall, I saw a cop with a dog walking through the school checking for drugs in the lockers. Being a student you know who the drug dealer is; its not like you want to know, but you just do.
I lived in Brooklyn; It was 1988, the middle of the crack epidemic. Our school was getting really serious about drugs: they awarded a $10,000 prize for anyone who gave the police a name. I could use the ten grand; my dad left us when I was two. All I have is my mom, and she works as a housecleaner: we were barely getting by. This $10,000 could really help us both. The problem was that my best friend Jake was one of the biggest drug dealers in the school; he has the same problem as me, father left him and his mom is barely making enough for rent. When you first meet Jake you would never think he sells. He’s a tall guy about six foot five and a star basketball player. He needed to start selling weed in order to support his mother and his little sister. I told him to stop plenty of times; he would try but the money from selling was so much better than the pay from any other job he could only 18. Since both are parents are having money problems, we have to try really hard in school. We both have straight A’s so we could get into a good college and get paid for our families. I had a brother- his name was Evan: and he was real big, about 250lbs and 6”2’. He told me everyday not to start selling rocks he saved up 5 grand over the years for when we really needed it. He had a good friend named Kevin, and they were almost like twins, they looked and acted alike. Jake and Kevin are like brothers to us. When Evan found out he sells he was really disappointed but realized that their money problems were even worse than ours. “Do what you gotta do”. It’s probably the last thing my brother said to him.
Everybody loved Jake people would always ask him for advice. Advice on anything on school, girls, guys, and cars Jake was really big on cars he knew everything about them. He took apart his moms car and put it all back together piece by piece turns out, after he put it back together it started to run a lot better. I knew that was what he was going to end up doing me and him are always fixing up peoples cars on the weekend for cash. We made a lot of money off of are weekend mechanics around 6 grand and growing were going to use this money to make a garage once we graduate. Since we were both seniors we only have 3 periods in school but Jake stays a little late in the parking lot to sell to all the juniors and sophomores he refuses to sell to freshman he says there too young. He ever actually brings weed to school he gets the money and brings it to the customer’s house, I thought it was a brilliant. I knew he wouldn’t get caught but these freshmen get mad at him for not selling to them and we both know eventually there going to snitch on him. High school was almost over there was only two more months it was easy going. All I had to do was pass my last couple classes and I’m good. Jake and I were planning to go to the same college together. From as far back as I can remember Jake was always the best in school always getting straight A’s he could get into any college he wants, me on the other hand didn’t do so good freshman year which really lowered my GPA so I only had a couple choices.
One day after school I went to Jakes house his mom told me he was in his room I saw him in his room crying I ran over and asked him “what’s wrong?”. Jake got accepted into Cornell with full tuition I was so happy for him he could stop selling weed and get a real job now. I got accepted into Stanford I was happy with that but, the Cornell’s mechanic’s school was a lot better. During college Jake and I didn’t really keep in touch we would talk once in a while but not really. College went by really fast nothing really fun happened neither. After college Jake and I got home at the same time. As soon as we saw each other we started talking about opening a garage. I wanted to ask him if he still sells but I don’t know if I should eventually I got the heart to ask him. The idiot started selling crack in college he said it was easy money. He could make five-hundred dollars in fifteen minutes. That’s when I was worried dealing crack is a big deal people get killed over that stuff. I tried to talk him out of it but he said “once we open a garage and money starts flowing ill stop but for now I need to do this to support my mom and sister” I agreed with him but at the same time I wanted to punch his face in. Evan was killed a week later in a gang shootout. I didn’t even get to see him before he died, he was never home anymore. Turns out he sold crack too, after Jake heard this he stopped selling crack but the problem with that is you just can’t stop selling. Jakes supplier was mad I knew people were out to put a bullet in his head. We opened a garage together; it was amazing we were making so much money. Everyone in the neighborhood would come to us for any of the fixes that they needed. A couple years went by the garage was still going strong and everyone was happy.

One day a strange figure came in to the store he was a gangster. I knew he had a gun on him somewhere I knew he was coming for Jake I screamed out for Jake to come to the back. I told him that guy was coming to kill him but Jake didn’t worry. The crack thing happened years ago, they wouldn’t be coming to kill him now. Jake goes out to the front desk; I stay in the back and pray that nothing happens to him. I heard gunshots; I ran out and saw Jake on the floor with the killer aiming the gun at his head. I ran into the killer and took the gun from him aimed and didn’t do anything. I couldn’t have it on my conscience that I killed someone. If I killed some it would make me the same thing as those killers who shot my brother. The shooter was actually my brother’s best friend Kevin.
I can’ believe what these crack dealers are doing to us. We used to be like one big family. Now I’m aiming a gun to someone who’s like a brother to me. I don’t know what’s happening anymore. I put down the gun, put Jake on my back and started walking. I don’t know where I was going I was just walking looking for someone that could help me. Then I feel a weight being lifted off my shoulders. It was Kevin, he took jake and carried him, put him in his car and we all went to the hospital. It was nearing midnight and no one told us anything about Jake. I was getting real worried. I couldn’t stand to look at Kevin knowing that he was the shooter. A doctor came out with a sad look in his face. He showed us an x-ray: the bullet pierced Jake’s lung, and he died. I was immediately filled with rage when I heard this. I couldn’t stand to not start hitting Kevin. I knew there was no point, he was twice my size. He started to hold me and whispered into my ear “I was forced into evil; I didn’t know what I was doing anymore. It’s almost like I was living in a world of fantasy, like even if I shot him he would have been fine”. That night seemed like the longest night of my life. Kevin was in jail, Jake and my brother dead, all because of this epidemic that ruining the lives of hundreds.